


Flotte mais jamais ne sombre

by StupeflipCrou



Category: Hunger Games Series - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M, Paris (City), Sorbonne - Freeform, everlark
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-07-09
Updated: 2016-11-18
Packaged: 2018-04-06 04:35:42
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 8,253
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4208151
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StupeflipCrou/pseuds/StupeflipCrou
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Peeta moves to France to study at the Sorbonne University as a freshman, as his uncle Haymitch agreed to let him stay at his place. But as the young man's priorities are learning a few French baking tricks and finding some inspiration to fill his pad, new encounters might lead him to get a prize he couldn't have dreamt of. Modern AU.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue : Paris sera toujours Paris

Every review, positive or negative, is very welcome :)

 

 _Prologue_  

 

Peeta sighed and stepped inside Newark airport, clutching the boarding pass he'd just retrieved from his backpack in one hand and his gymbag in the other. The prospect of a 6-hour plane ride didn't particularly fill him with enthusiasm, but his decision was long made and there was no going back now. Once Peeta located his airline counter, handed his bag over and went through security, he realized he still had an hour to kill before he would have to board. He spotted a Starbucks near his gate, ordered a Cinnamon Dolce Latte and a blueberry muffin and sat at one of the few empty tables. As he took a bite of his muffin, he remembered why he didn't make a habit of going to Starbucks. Having grown in the bakery his family had owned for about a century, Peeta was kind of picky with his food and only reluctantly agreed to go when his friends insisted. The 18 year-old boy couldn't keep himself from thinking that ironically enough, he had for once chosen pastries over his friends, as it was the reason he was soon going to cross the Atlantic. Well, that, and his taste for adventure. When he checked his phone and saw that he had only 10 minutes left to board, he quickly ate the remnants of the muffin and finished his drink. Peeta then walked to the gate, and he was soon dozing off as the plane took off, helped by the light rumbling of the engine. The last thought he had before falling asleep was ' _Paris, here I come_.'

Peeta was pretty pleased when he figured out the Paris transportation network at first glance – well, almost. As he bought a _métro_ ticket and hopped just in time into the train, he took in what was displayed before him. Hundreds of people were standing on the platform and inside the train itself, and Peeta could see a great diversity among Parisians, every shade of skin represented, and as he was trying not to stare too much at anyone, all he could see was a blur made of everyone's clothes, a swaying rainbow right before him – a very noisy rainbow. While Peeta couldn't pick out every language spoken, it sure seemed to him that there were quite a lot. The young man thought that taking the Paris  _métro_ was kind of a sensual experience, and the ridiculous thought made him snort. His body, and apparently his mind too, was starting to feel the weight of the long travel, and well... he had always been a sensitive, artistic soul.

  
A few minutes later, Peeta was trying hard not to fall asleep as the _métro_ lulled him into sleep. To keep his head clear and concentrate on something, he decided to count how many stations were left until he would discover his new home, but gave up after he got to the 12th station and saw that his was still a few ones away. But Peeta was patient, always had been, and this wasn't going to change – especially now. Visiting France had always been one of his dreams, and that had finally been able to happen thanks to his uncle Haymitch – well, that, and the enthusiasm his mother showed in the idea of getting rid of him. Peeta's mom had never shown any interest in her youngest son, in any of her children for that matter. Ryan and Nathan, Peeta's two oldest brothers, had always been very close thanks to their small age gap, Ryan being 21 and Nathan 22. Thinking of them made Peeta smile, as he remembered his brothers' smiles when he told them he was going to study at the Sorbonne university in Paris and that their uncle had agreed to let him stay with him for the whole year. To Peeta, this trip meant a certain amount of things. First, he was going to leave the New Jersey suburbs he grew up in and felt suffocated by, and above all, his bitch of a mother. This year abroad had a thrilling taste of freedom and meant a fresh start, meeting new people and discovering another country and its culture. Secondly, it meant that he'd be able to do the two things he loved the most : baking and painting. Peeta really hoped he would get a job at a traditional French bakery, and he just knew that Paris, the City of Lights, was going to be a great muse.

 

As he walked through the hall of his station, Lamarck-Caulaincourt, the soft melody of a guitar overwhelmed him. Peeta stopped to give the man a coin – he had already changed his dollars into euros for good measure – when he started singing.

' _Paris sera toujours Paris_  
_La plus belle ville du monde_  
_Malgré l'obscurité profonde,_  
_Son éclat ne peut être assombri_  
_Paris sera toujours Paris !_  
_Plus on réduit son éclairage_  
_Plus on voit briller son courage_  
_Sa bonne humeur et son esprit_  
_Paris sera toujours Paris !_ '

Although Peeta couldn't really understand what the man was saying, the song was sung with such emotion he could practically smell the affection the man felt towards his city. Giving the artist the coin, he climbed the stairs that would lead him to the outside world. As he stepped outside, Peeta took a deep breath and was met by such life and such an atmosphere that he immediately thought he was a goner. Paris seemed to hold so many promises, and he had no idea what they were – but he was going to find out soon enough.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you ever need a translation for something written in French that you didn't quite understand but that you'd like to, just ask me :)

_A week later_

 

Peeta stepped back and took in the room he had spent the last two hours decorating. Now, he finally felt at home, surrounded by the few things he owned that really mattered to him. Above his bed, right on the center of the wall, was his collection of jerseys. On the left was his Canadiens jersey - rooting for the Canadiens was kind of a tradition in his family, his mother's side of the family being from Québec and all. That was his last birthday gift from his uncle Haymitch. On the middle of the wall was his Giants jersey, the one he often wore when practising football with his friends, that was downright ratty by now but that he loved so much. On the right, there was his brand new New York City FC jersey, that his father had given to him as a 'parting gift', as he dramatically called it. Thinking of his father made Peeta smile, as he's always had a special relationship with his father - which was truly encouraged by his mother's disdain.

Now that he thought about it, it felt like everything he ever did was because he needed to feel good about something, and prove to his mother that he wasn't the actual failure she thought he was. On the bright side, it was a big part of the reason why Peeta was who he was - good at sports, sensitive, smart, open-minded, and a kind boy. At school, he had always been the cool kid, and the girls practically threw themselves at him. Sometimes, he showed some interest in them. Most of the time, he didn't.

But he took pride in the fact that besides his kind nature, he was also tough. He knew what hard work was and 'had a good head on his shoulders', as his uncle said - usually followed by a coughing fit that could last a while. Peeta's uncle, Haymitch - his mom's resented little brother - was born and bred in Canada and moved to Paris about 5 years ago. He used to work for the UN but decided to quit, feeling a sense of strong unfairness and powerlessness despite working for the biggest international organization. When he got the job, he dreamt of changing the world but as time passed he realized he was just a helpless idealistic and that some things just never changed. So he left everything behind and went to France's capital city and opened a bar. Haymitch always joked that at least, he could sell happiness for a night as 'a well drink was pretty much the closest thing to bliss'. Or maybe he wasn't joking, Peeta didn't really know - or maybe he did.

The young man took in the rest of the room, with the old desk his uncle gave him because 'he would need it more than him'. Right above the desk, he had posted all his favorite pictures. Most of them were of him smiling with his brothers, covered in mud, bruises and cheap beer as the years passed. There were also pictures of him working at the bakery with his dad - this time covered in flour - and the pictures his friends took for their graduation party a few months earlier. Peeta already felt like it all happened a lifetime ago. 

He had also converted a small space of his room into a drawing space, with canvases and paint and brushes he had just bought. Although he hadn't actually drawn or even sketched anything since he arrived, he was thankful for his big room and the possibility of having even just a small space to draw in peace, not having to share his room with one of his brothers anymore.

Feeling in a particularly good mood, the young man decided to go out and meet Haymitch at the bar. His uncle had offered him a few times already to come by and say hi, and Peeta could tell that it mattered to him. He figured now was as good a time as any. Grabbing his jacket, he locked the door and walked the 5 min-walk that separated the apartment from the bar. The young man came to a stop in front of a pretty-decent looking bar named  _Le Geai Moqueur_ , and as he walked in, he was overwhelmed by a strong scent of tobacco, wood, and fries. The bar was actually crowded, even for a Sunday evening, and at only 7 pm, Peeta could already hear the laughters of tipsy - or clearly drunk- people coming from every corner. Rock'n'roll music was playing in the background, and all the 5 pool tables were occupied. Peeta smiled with pride at his blatant uncle's success. 

"Peeta !" He looked up to where the powerful voice came from and saw his uncle at the far right of the bar, putting some money in the cash register. "You finally decided to show up ! What do you wanna drink ? It's on the house," Haymitch said as he winked at his nephew. 

"Uh, I don't know, surprise me !" Peeta laughed. It was fun to think that while his friends on the other side of the Atlantic had to wait until they turned 21 to legally drink, he on the other hand could drink pretty much everything he wanted at only 18, without having to get a fake ID. 

"Hey Finn, get your pretty ass over here !" shouted Haymitch, in the direction of the pool tables. Peeta saw a guy, likely the Finn in question, curse at Haymitch and walking over. He was an athletic guy, with copper hair and gleaming green eyes. 

"What do you want old drunk ? I was totally gonna get this girl's number, so I hope it's fucking important." The guy smirked and waved at the girl he was hitting on. 

"Ha ! So I guess I did my good deed of the day !" the older man guffawed. "Aight look, this is my nephew Peeta," he said as he clapped him on the shoulder. "I told you about him moving here and all, so I expect you to show him all the good places and stuff like that," he mumbled as he poured himself a shot of tequila or whatever the nearest bottle's content was. "Now get the fuck out of my sight and have some fun, kids. I have a business to run."

Finn laughed and Peeta rolled his eyes, smiling nonetheless. 

"Finnick," said the young man, introducing himself properly.

"Peeta. So, how come you speak English ? You're not from here, are you ? You don't really have a French accent" Peeta asked as they made their way to the pool tables. 

"I'll take that as a compliment, mate," grinned Finnick. "Nah, I'm Scottish, but I moved here with my parents 3 years ago, when I was 16." Finnick thought for a second before adding "Although my parents moved back to Aberdeen a few weeks ago, but they left me the apartment they had bought so.. finally free !" he half-shouted, his hands in the air. 

"So do you study in Paris ?" Peeta asked, curious.

"Yeah, I study oceanography. I'm about to get my licence. But as soon as I have spare time, I spend it here. Haymitch often offers drinks when he's wasted and doesn't give a shit, and he even lets us smoke in here - which is kinda illegal in France," Finnick laughed. 

"Wow that's kinda cool. The oceanography thing, I mean," Peeta mumbled.

Finnick threw his head back and gave a deep laugh. He then clapped Peeta on the shoulder and said "Aight come on, lemme introduce you to my friends. So here's my best friend..."

"Joanna," interrupted a brunette wearing a leather jacket and a pretty fierce look on her face. Peeta could detect a slight Spanish accent. "Eyo, handsome," she turned to Finnick, "well you've got yourself a real hot wingman, Odair." Then she took a sip of her drink, grabbed a pool cue from the hands of some guy and leaned forward, ready to hit the ball. In spite of his will, Peeta looked at the dark tribal tattoo Joanna had on her lower back. She suddenly turned back to look at him, and knowing she had caught him basically staring at her ass, she winked at him and said "I think we're gonna get along just fine, pretty boy."

Finnick laughed and started ranting about 'women' and how men were really the victims. But then, Peeta lost the thread as the door opened and the most beautiful girl he had ever seen walked into the bar. Peeta tried not to stare too much at her, but he observed her from the corner of his eye making her way behind the bar with self-confidence and obviously getting to work. She was truly beautiful, with sparkling and alert grey eyes, an intricate braid hanging loosely behind her shoulder, and no hint of makeup. She acted in a very professional way, nodding curtly to patrons yet without seeming rude. Even from the corner of the room, Peeta could see she was a no-nonsense kind of girl. But then, he caught her smiling to Haymitch, and an actual shiver ran throught him as he thought she was radiant.

And Finnick, seeing right through him, whispered playfully in his ear "And _this_ , my friend, is Katniss Everdeen - just in case you're wondering."

 

 


	3. Chapter 3

When Peeta got back to the apartment a few hours - and beers - later, he tried not to think about this Katniss girl. After Finnick had told him her name, he tried not to be too embarrassed by how obvious he had been, so he hardly stared at her for the rest of the night. Once in his room, he went over - for the hundredth time - all the things he would need for tomorrow. Peeta knew he would have been anxious even for his first day in an American college, but being in France, he had no idea what to expect. Were the classes difficult ? How different could French and American education be ? Was he even going to like his classes ? Nope. Not overthinking it at all. 

 

Peeta struggled to fall asleep that night, and saying he was tired the next morning would be an understatement. As he entered the kitchen to get a quick breakfast, he didn't even notice Haymitch sitting in the living room. Opening the fridge, he looked for something to drink. 

"Well, you look like shit," said Haymitch. Peeta jumped at the sound of his voice, and turned around.

"Haymitch, you scared the shit out of me," groaned Peeta once his heartbeat was back to normal. "I couldn't sleep last night," he shrugged while grabbing a bottle of milk from the fridge. 

"Oh come on, it's only the first day, you're just going to get the usual motivational speeches and your schedule. Don't be such a pussy."

Peeta shook his head at his uncle's bluntness, but couldn't keep himself from smiling. This was exactly what he needed to hear. He hardly ever felt anxious, and he wasn't going to suddenly stress out about college. No, he decided this would be a great year, starting today. With a new resolve, he ate his cereals quickly and almost jogged out of the apartment, shouting an enthusiastic 'see ya !' to Haymitch. 

 

As an Art history major, Peeta's university department was located in the 6th arrondissement of Paris. Which meant that he almost had to cross the entire city, which meant that he had a 10-minute walk ahead of him to get to the station Marcadet-Poissoniers, and then take the metro that would take him to the university. Which also meant that 40 mins later, Peeta was checking his watch every two seconds and was more and more worried that he would arrive late. 

 

He felt frustrated, because really, he should have known. Deciding that there was nothing he could possibly do to go faster, he willed himself to relax and took in the overcrowded train. Around him were people from all origins, each trapped inside the metro waiting to reach their destination and start a new day, making the atmosphere somewhat tense. He quickly figured out that line 4 was one of the busiest lines, and he didn't know how to feel about that. Sure, that was going to be a pain in his ass every morning, but at the same time, it made him feel like a true Parisian. Plus, here in the metro, who could guess he was a foreigner ? Nobody. And that brought him a great sense of belonging. 

 

When Peeta reached his station, Vavin, he spotted easily the beautiful building that would be like a second home to him during the whole year. He hurried to his assigned room and took a sit right as the first professors entered the room, chatting lightly and smiling at their new students. Peeta looked around and saw that most of them looked relaxed. Okay, maybe he really didn't need to overthink it the way he had.

 

An hour later, the schedules had been handed over and everyone was free to go. Peeta wandered around this part of the city he had yet to see, and decided to go to the Jardin du Luxembourg. As he walked through the park, he found a quiet place near a fountain and retrieved his sketchbook from his backpack. He draw for a few hours, lost in the moment. At noon, he bought a sandwich in the nearest bakery. As he took his first bite, Peeta thought French bread really lived up to its reputation. After having eaten the last crumb, he figured he still had plenty of time before heading back home, so he wandered once more the city and even visited the Panthéon, using his sketchbook from time to time to capture people or special details . At 6, he headed back to the 18th arrondissement, and decided to stop by the bar on his way home, to give his uncle a heads-up of the day - and mostly because if he was being honest, he didn't really have anything else to do. 

 

When he walked into _Le Geai Moqueur,_ Peeta noticed the place was still very much crowded for a Monday night, and he briefly wondered if his uncle's establishment was ever empty. He had doubts. 

 

Hardly fully inside the bar, Finnick was already calling his name for everyone to hear and as every head turned in his direction, Peeta blushed but still made his way to his new friend, mouthing to Haymitch _'I'll talk to you later_ '. His uncle smirked knowingly at him, but Peeta could see in his eyes that he was proud his nephew was already making friends. 

 

"So, are you here 24/7 or what ?" Peeta joked, raising an eyebrow. 

"Well I'm always up for a good drink and a game of pool, and Jo always knows how to drag me here..." Finn grinned. 

"Yeah, as if it was so difficult !" Joanna turned to Peeta and smirked, "All I have to say is that there will be lots of hot girls and that the first round is on me, and he's here in a heartbeat."

Finn and Joanna looked at each other in the eyes, before laughing and establishing the stakes of the next game. Peeta couldn't keep himself from feeling a bit jealous of their easy friendship, and for a second he thought about all he had left behind him when leaving America. But then, Joanna said something like ' _You playing or what pretty boy ?_ ', and he smiled to himself, thinking that maybe, just maybe, he could make even greater friends than the ones he had back home.  _Home._ Except New Jersey wasn't his home anymore. Paris was. And that thought alone made him grab a stick and move around as he owned the place. 

 

An hour later, the place was even more crowded, and Finn kept introducing him to new people. Peeta was in one of the corners of the room, talking to a girl named Cressida. He instantly took a liking to her, as she was the quirkiest of Finnick's friends. Her head was entirely shaved, but an intricate vine tattoo made up for her lack of hair. It was also because she was open-minded and liked arts, as she was an audiovisual media major. She had a slight French accent, but not as obvious as the one other French people he had met had, and Peeta told her so. 

"Well I guess I have the movies to thank for that," she laughed. She then turned to her boyfriend, a burly sort of guy with dark skin.

"Hey man, I'm Thresh," said the guy, shaking Peeta's hand with a small smile. 

As it turned out, Thresh was a really nice guy and the two talked a lot - although it was mostly about sports. The boy played rugby, and when Peeta mentioned he used to play football as a running back, the two bantered and playfully compared the two sports.

"Why is football even called football ? I tell you, dude, the guy who named the sport probably didn't even know the rules !" Thresh laughed while taking a sip of his coke.

 

Peeta shook his head lightheartedly, and then he saw the girl from the day before, standing behind the bar counter, seemingly focused on the drink she was pouring. Still, he couldn't help but notice how easily she was doing her job and briefly wondered how long she had been doing this job. Actually, it made him wonder lots of things about her, which was kind of unsettling since he hadn't even talked to her once. Even if Peeta's experience with girls wasn't huge, he still had dated a few ones back in America and he even had a girlfriend for several months, a girl named Delly, who he had broken up with when he applied to the Sorbonne. At the time, he wasn't even sure he was going to get in, but he had realized that the idea of ending things with Delly didn't really upset him. So he figured he'd better end it now before she got too attached. And so he did. But never in his life had Peeta been so attracted to someone, even less to someone he didn't even know the name. Peeta stared at her for a while, his eyes travelling from her dark braid to her sparkling grey eyes. She didn't even wear any makeup...

 

Thresh brought him back to reality as he stood up and claimed one of the pool tables while cracking a joke to Finnick, who had just lost to Joanna. The young man made his way to Peeta and raised his eyebrows.

"Aight so, I know your classes don't start until next week, so you should come at my place tomorrow night, I'm having a bunch of people over. And you can't say no man, so I'll text you the address tonight. See ya dude !" and before Peeta could even reply anything, Finn was already at the door and waving at Haymitch. 

 

Later that night, as Peeta was skyping with his two brothers, he got a text from Finn. 

 

_Finnick_ 11:23 : Take line 12, exit at Pigalle and then walk to the station Blanche. Give me a ring when you're in front of the Moulin Rouge. If I'm too drunk to answer your call, Cressida will._

 

Peeta wasn't really surprised that Finn lived next to the most prestigious cabaret in Paris. Really, he should have known. He told his brothers about his new friend, and stated that they would probably get on well. After he ended up his call, he got another text.

 

 _Finnick__ _11:58 : Oh and guess who'll be there._

 

He quickly typed back 'Cressida ? ;)' and his heart skipped a bit when he read Finn's replies. 

 

_Finnick_12:00 : Smartass. I figured you got that one. Yeah, she'll be there... but she's also bringing her best friend. I'm letting you guess, but her name starts with a K._

_Finnick_12:01 : You know, the girl you eyefucked the other day._

 

And just like that, Peeta's long-forgotten anxiety surfaced. But this time, it was in a good, warm kind of way. 

 

* * *

 

 

Peeta could see the lights of the Moulin Rouge in the distance, and as he got closer, he made a promise to himself that he would come back to draw the cabaret that he had seen in this movie a long time ago - but seeing it for real was another thing entirely. When he called Finnick, he was surprised that his friend actually picked up the phone. 

When he got into the apartment, Peeta realized that Finn's place was actually bigger than what he expected. He knew how expensive everything was here, and he wondered how rich were his friend's parents. Peeta laughed when he saw that the 'bunch of people' Finnick had mentioned was actually more than a bunch. There were people everywhere and in every room - but really, the only room he was interested in was the living room, because that was where Katniss stood, pouring shots in a row for a collective round. He said hi to the people he had already met, and Finn made a point of introducing him to everyone else but the girl he wanted to meet the most. Peeta suspected it was his silent way of teasing him. Finally, they made their way to the table where Katniss was.

 

"Hey, Kat. Have you met Peeta ?" And then he was walking out of the conversation, leaving Peeta alone with Katniss, both of them clearly embarrassed by their friend's unsubtle reference to the move in _How I Met Your Mother_. Peeta could practically see Finn's knowing smirk in his head.

"Huh, yeah, hi, I'm Peeta" he said shyly. And then he laughed "Is he always like that ?"

"Pretty much," said Katniss with a slight smile. Just as he was about to say something, a tall, black-haired guy came from behind her and rested his head on her shoulder, whispering something with a Cheshire cat smile. Katniss laughed and handed him a shot, and Peeta felt like a fool standing there in the middle watching the two obviously having fun together. There was no denying it. He was jealous of this guy that could make her smile bigger than anyone else. He had been stupid to think that a girl that beautiful wouldn't have a boyfriend.

He was going to walk away, defeated, when she handed him a drink too. Then, Katniss and her boyfriend started a countdown, but when she downed her shot, he was the one she was looking at straight in the eyes. 

 

They didn't talk again. She spent the night attached to her boyfriend, or maybe it was the other way around, but as much as seeing them together made Peeta miserable - which he didn't quite understand himself - he actually had a good time, laughing and dancing senselessly with everyone, and he took comfort in the fact that he would often catch her staring at him from across the room. 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys ! I'd like to apologize cause in case you didn't notice, which is highly unlikely, English isn't my mother tongue, which means that writing is a bit more difficult for me. Don't get me wrong, it's far from an ordeal since I'm really having fun with this story so far, but I guess sometimes my English might be a little awkward so here I am, half apologizing (and I'm really bad at it). Anyways, I hope you have half as fun reading the story as I have writing it :)


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long wait guys, I just didn't feel like writing after what happened in Paris in November, and then I just had so much to do that I couldn't find time/inspiration. Once again, all mistakes are mine.  
> For those who don't know, the title of this fanfiction is the translation of "Fluctuat nec mergitur", which is the motto of the city of Paris. It roughly translates to "Tossed but not sunk". Deep, huh.  
> Anyway, let's get to it !

Two months later, Peeta was still adjusting to his new life in Paris. Everything was so different, from the people to the lifestyle. He was also struggling with the language, even though he was understanding it better every day.

He had developed a quick and strong friendship with Finnick, whose humor matched his own – witty, yet a bit more salacious.

Together, they hung out in different places almost every night, but they still spent every Friday night at Le Geai Moqueur. If Peeta was being honest with himself, he knew a big part of it was because he liked to see Katniss pour drinks confidently.  

He burnt to know more about her, but he was reluctant to ask Finnick. He knew he would get teased for days if he showed his friend how curious he was about her, which was really stupid at this point because they had only spoken once – well, fourteen if you counted the times he had ordered a drink from her, but that really didn’t count.

 He could already hear his friend’s voice saying “well well well, little Peeta is yearning to fulfil his bartender fantasy, isn’t he?”. Every time he thought about it, he mentally rolled his eyes.

Sure, he did want her more than he had wanted anyone before. Maybe it was her slight French accent – that was definitely a huge turn-on -, or her stormy grey eyes. But really, it was everything. She was just beautiful.

The truth was, it was slowly starting to drive him crazy. With less than 20 hours of class a week, he had all the free time in the world to think about her, and when she had a shift at the bar, he just spent the whole time studying her.

Peeta decided that it was enough. He needed to know everything about her, and most importantly, whether she and the tall, black-haired guy were an item.

As talking to Finn really wasn’t an option, he sent a text to Cressida, and they agreed on meeting at a cozy café of the 10th arrondissement on Thursday after class.

 

* * *

 

 

When Peeta got out of the _métro_ station, it was bucketing down, so he raced to the café, cursing himself for not having brought his umbrella. As he entered the place, the warmth engulfed him, along with a sweet smell of coffee and chocolate. Most tables were occupied, but he spotted an empty one in a corner, and sat down after having ordered a hot chocolate. His hair was wet, and so was his sweater.

As he pulled it off, he saw Cressida step through the door, and waved at her.

“Hey, Peet. So what’s up ? How’s college going ?”, she asked as she sat in front of him.

“It’s going well. It’s pretty interesting, and I met some cool people. Most of them live on the left bank though so they are just college friends, I guess.”, he said. Then he decided to just go for it, at this point, he didn’t really care anymore if he sounded stupid. “Look, I was wondering… You know your friend Katniss?”.

 Cressida nodded, a smirk appearing at the corner of her lips. To her credit, she had the decency not to entirely smirk.

“Well… I was kinda wondering if she was, huh, dating this big guy that was also there at your party.”.

Peeta tried not to blush too much while he asked the question, staring intently at his chocolate. However, when he looked up, he saw that Cressida wasn’t smirking, but smiling sweetly at him.

“I guess you’re talking about Gale. They’re best friends, but they used to date. Now, they’re just… having fun, I guess. Sometimes. I think Gale likes to think she’s his, but really, Katniss isn’t interested in him.”

Peeta was conflicted. On one hand, he was happy that they weren’t in a relationship. On the other hand… if they were still having sex, that had to mean something, right ?

“So, she’s just having fun.” stated Peeta, but it sounded more like a question.

Cress nodded, and took a long sip of her beer. “Look, I’m not even sure they’re still doing it. But even if they were, it doesn’t mean anything, at least for Katniss. I guess he’s just the one she turns to when she wanna blow off some steam.”

She winked, and Peeta felt uncomfortable. He wanted to be the one she turned to… especially to blow off some steam. She could use him. No problem.

Before Cressida could read his thoughts and he could embarrass himself even further, he changed the subject and asked her how the short film she was supposed to direct for a school project.  

As Peeta got home later that night, he decided to draw until he got too tired to think clearly, and he drifted off to the soothing sounds of the city. 

 

The following day, the whole crew met at the bar like every Friday night. Peeta was the last one to arrive, and Joanna, Finnick, Cressida and Thresh were already sitting at their usual booth. As he made his way through the bar, Haymitch winked at him, and Katniss… well, Katniss didn’t even look at him. She was in deep conversation with this Gale guy, who was leaning against the bar as if he owned the place. That pissed Peeta off, and he decided he definitely didn’t like the guy.

Undeterred, he made his way to his friends, knowing that Haymitch was going to bring him his beer without him asking, as he did every Friday. These little things made Peeta realize that he was slowly but surely creating a life for himself here.

“Salut Peeta !”, said Joanna, “We were just talking about what’s happening these days in Paris, the "Nuit Debout" thing. It’s crazy, it’s like a revolution is on the way !”. She then raised her fist.

Peeta laughed, Joanna was such an anarchist. It figured she would be thrilled by the movement, which consisted in people protesting against the government every night at _Place de la République_. However, Peeta didn’t feel French enough to feel concerned by it, and he only watched it from afar.

“Yeah well, I don’t really know about that. I heard the place could go wild”, he said shyly, fearing his friends’ reaction. However, they all laughed at this.

“Look man, you should come with us on Sunday, you’ll see what it’s really about”, said Finnick with a grin.

“Yeah, you really should”, continued Cress. Peeta vaguely agreed, obviously not convinced. As the others changed the topic, talking about the recent attacks, Peeta looked over at Katniss, who seemed really pissed at Gale, brows furrowed and all, and that made Peeta smile. However, Katniss suddenly looked at him over the liquor bottles, and Peeta quickly adverted his gaze, ashamed that he had been caught staring at her so blatantly. Throughout the night, he didn’t dare looking at her again, but he did see Gale make exasperated gestures with his hands and ultimately leave the bar, looking annoyed.

Hours later, as everyone was leaving the bar, a slightly drunk Cressida drew him aside for a moment.

“Look Peet, I know you don’t really want to go to Répu on Sunday, but I thought something could change your mind.”. At this point, Cressida was grinning in a way that reminded him of Finnick a bit too much for his liking. “Katniss will be there. She sings there every Sunday afternoon. So just consider it, ok ?”.

She winked at him, and shouted a loud “A plus, les gars !” as she exited the bar. Répu was short for Place de la République, where Nuit Debout took place, but also where people went to talk, exchange ideas, dance, sing, draw, or even just chill. 

Peeta bade goodbye to Haymitch and told him he would prepare him a sandwich when he got home. It was usually how it worked between the two, Haymitch pulling long hours at the bar and getting home in the middle of the night with an empty stomach. Well, empty was a bit of an overstatement. It was actually quite full, only it wasn’t food that his uncle gulped down all night long. Peeta made sure that he got something to eat every night after he closed his establishment. The man did host him for free after all. 

Later that night, as Peeta was lying in bed, he kept thinking about what Cress told him. He decided he was indeed going to go and see for himself what was special about this place. That, and the fact that it would mean an occasion for him to talk to Katniss, without a bar counter in the way – it was actually kind of impressive, and he just felt like an idiot every time he tried to start a conversation with her at the bar. Also, it would mean he would get to hear her sing, which was kind of unexpected. He had no idea Katniss sang. Yup, he definitely knew what he was going to do this Sunday.

 

 


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok so I know it's been a while. What can I say, life got in the way. Sorry guys ! Also, keep in mind that this work is still unbeta'ed, so yeah, all mistakes are mine, as always.

On Sunday afternoon, Peeta got out of the apartment and walked the short distance to the nearest subway station. Cress had texted him this morning to let him know they were all meeting up in front of the big statue at 2pm.

When he arrived at République, he almost jogged the few steps that led to the _place_. Finnick was already there with Annie, a quiet girl who was originally a friend of Madge and who Finn was pining for. They waved at Peeta when he spotted them through the crowd. When he reached them, he saw that Katniss was already there and in a deep conversation with Cress. Their faces were close and they were laughing at something Cress had just said.

Peeta smiled and gave one kiss on each of Cress’s cheeks, and he blushed when he did the same with Katniss’s. He was still getting used to the way French people greeted each other, but this time he was glad for it as it gave him the chance to feel her cheeks against his own. It was probably the closest he’ll ever be to her thanks to her handsome fuck buddy, he thought bitterly.

As Peeta wondered why the only girl he’d been interested in since he arrived in France happened to be in a relationship - even if it wasn’t a real nor official one - he realized he had been staring for too long. Embarrassed, he looked up to see Katniss’s eyebrows raised, a smirk on her beautiful face. He could feel his face and ears heat up immediately.  _Real smooth, Peet_.

Cress lightly laughed, and said “Alright guys, Katniss is gonna sing in like 10 minutes and then Thresh and Madge are gonna dance, so we’d better go get some beer now if we don’t wanna miss anything”. Finnick shouted something like “hell yeah !” and made his way to a makeshift bar, as Annie wished good luck to Katniss, Thresh and Madge.

As Katniss made her way towards the sound system in long confident strides, Peeta tried not to stare too insistently at the way her jeans hugged her delicate curves. He forced himself to look at the _place_ instead. It was kind of big, with a monument in its center. Lots of people were out in the street that day, enjoying the sun, as the weather was pretty mild for late November. In the few months Peeta had been living in Paris, he had quickly learnt that as soon as there was even a few rays of sun, Parisians rushed outside to gorge on the sun, as it was becoming pretty rare as winter approached.

Peeta was looking at the graffiti-covered statue when he heard Katniss sing the first verse of a song he didn’t know. His head snapped in her direction, and from this moment, he couldn’t tear his eyes off her. It was as if listening to her sing was overwhelming all his senses.

 _Oh ma douce souffrance_ _  
Pourquoi s'acharner, tu recommences…_  

Peeta’s eyes were searching for Katniss’s, but she was so caught up in the moment that she closed them, her hips swaying lightly to the rhythm.

 _Je ne suis qu'un être sans importance_  
Sans lui je suis un peu paro  
Je déambule seule dans le métro

Peeta could understand some of the lyrics, and from what he got, it wasn’t a happy song. Her brows were furrowed and you could hear the emotion as her voice cracked on some words.

It’s only when Katniss opened her eyes when the song was over that Peeta realized the whole _place_ had grown quiet. To his surprise, Katniss was looking at him straight in the eyes, and for a fleeting second, it was as if they were alone. But the crowd soon cheered loudly, and the moment was over. He could see her smirk just before she thanked the crowd and started a new song. She was a natural.

This time, she kept her eyes on him the whole time.

 

* * *

 

Later, the gang decided to get a few drinks at _Le Geai Moqueur_. Peeta wasn’t used to having Katniss pressed to his side in a booth, as she was usually the one making drinks at the bar. She was sitting to his right, and Thresh was to his left. They had been commenting the football games of last Sunday, and they had both agreed to disagree on the Giants’ performances.

Peeta was already through his second beer, and was beginning to feel pleasantly buzzed. Their booth was pretty packed, and everybody was laughing. Peeta thought they made an odd crew, all speaking English with their different accents. Sometimes, he would hear snatches of Katniss and Cressida’s conversation, who were the only two people not bothering to speak English, as they were both French and obviously more comfortable with their mother tongue.

Peeta realized he understood most of it, as the many things he had learnt since he arrived added to what he already knew from his Canadian part of the family. He tried not to eavesdrop too much, mainly out of fear of being caught, but he couldn’t help glancing their way when he heard the word “petit copain”. He knew this word, he had learnt its meaning when watching TV with Haymitch a couple of weeks ago, and it meant _boyfriend._

He hadn’t heard the whole sentence, but the word was enough to pique his interest. Katniss darted a quick glance at Peeta, and then answered very slowly, as if she wanted him to grasp everything she was saying.

“Je sais pas, ça fait longtemps qu’un garçon ne m’a pas intéressée, c’est tout", she shrugged

Peeta could feel warmth flooding his cheeks as he looked away, a shy smile on his lips.

A couple of hours later, everyone was tipsy to say the least and the atmosphere in the bar was electric. Peeta was staring into space, thinking about how lucky he was, having found great friends like them almost right away, when Finnick interrupted his train of thoughts

“You up for a game of pool, mate ?”, his friend grinned. Playing pool at _Le Geai Moqueur_ had quickly become one of Peeta’s favorite things to do when he had spare time.

Finnick was very easy to be around, and they got on really well. Soon, they had added a trick to their games : before they started, they established stakes. In the end, the loser had no other choice but to accept the challenge. Leave it to Finn to turn pool into a dare, but the better Peeta got, the more confident he became. As a result, the dares were getting cheekier and the games more intense.

Peeta wouldn’t forget so soon – and Finn wouldn’t let him anyway - this one time he had to get a redhead’s number, right in front of Katniss.  Just thinking about it made his cheeks heat up. Finn knew she was Peeta’s weakness, and he was obviously having a blast playing with it.

“Sure”, Peeta smirked. “Prepare to lose.”

“Not going to happen bro”, Finn smiled viciously as he set the balls in a perfect triangle.

“It is”, Peeta insisted. He thought for a second. “And _when_ I win, you’re going to strip in front of everyone on the bar counter”, he said smiling triumphantly.

“Please, you underestimate me. I’ve done way worse on this very counter. Fine.” He downed the remainder of his Guiness, and then stared at Peeta right in the eyes. It didn’t look good. “And when _I_ win… you’re gonna kiss Katniss. Full on the mouth.”

Peeta’s eyes rounded almost comically and he choked on his beer. “What ?! No. No. No way. I-I’m not.. I mean, I barely know her !”.

“Not yet anyway, cause you’re gonna know her well – well, her lips anyways – very soon”, Finn smiled mischievously. “Besides, stop acting so coy. I’m doing you a favor, I’m tired seeing you get a boner every time you look at her.”

Peeta groaned. He was resolved to give everything he got during this game, because losing was not an option. It just wasn’t. There was no way he was going to lose. _Ok, don’t panic. Just focus on the game_ _and you won’t make a fool of yourself._

However, fate had decided differently. An hour later, Finnick was sinking the black ball in one of the corner pockets. At this point, Peeta was feeling a nice buzz thanks to his fourth beer of the night, but he wasn’t totally drunk. _At least I won’t be wasted when I kiss her._

He had accepted his fate about 20 minutes ago, when it was becoming clearer and clearer that Finnick was going to win this game.

Peeta was so anxious, he felt sick to his stomach. Or maybe it was butterflies. Whatever.

But a bet was a bet, and he wasn’t going to back down now. He was going to be a good sport about it. He was also going to kill Finn, and it would be long and painful.

He gulped down what little was left of his beer, deciding a bit more of liquid courage wouldn’t hurt. He then took a deep breath, shrugged and looked at the crowded room, trying to locate Katniss amongst the crowd.

When he finally did, he saw that she was dancing with Cress and Jo, and the way she was moving her body with abandon, eyes closed, clearly showed that she was more than a little tipsy. Maybe she wasn’t going to punch him in the face. Maybe it would just be a slap. Maybe Joanna was going to do it herself.

He threw a long look to Finnick, and he hoped he could read in his eyes that he was sentencing him to death. But it wasn’t nearly as deadly as he thought, since his friend winked at him. Finn was definitely trouble.

Taking long strides so he wouldn’t second-guess himself, he crossed the room and stopped right in front of Katniss. She must have felt his presence, as she opened her eyes, and looked quizzically at him. When he just kept standing there, staring at her, she raised her eyebrows playfully.

_Ok, let’s go. Don’t think._

He gathered his courage, grabbed her hands, put her close to him, and then just went for it and kissed her full on the mouth, no questions asked.

At first, she gasped against his mouth. But as Peeta kept pressing his lips forcefully to hers, he was caught off guard as she started to actually _kiss him back_. He opened his eyes, and when he was her so engrossed in their kiss, closed them again. He kissed her like she was water in the desert, and to his delight, he felt her lips moving enthusiastically against his own. Pure energy ran through his body as her tongue traced the seam of his lips. He opened them eagerly, and when her tongue touched his confidently, he knew he was too far gone.

She was going to have to end the kiss herself, because he couldn’t do it himself. Nope. It could have been 5 minutes or an hour later, but she eventually did. They opened their eyes at the same time, and they both grinned like fools. He touched her forehead with his own, and he could feel a fluttering in his chest when he realized how puffy and red her saliva-glistening lips were. He could only imagine his looked the same.

As the bar kept buzzing around them, they stood still, processing what had just happened.

Suddenly, Peeta got hit by something hard pouncing on him. He got tackled to the ground, and he just had the time to close his eyes before he got hit in the face, and to hear Katniss scream “Gale, what the fuck ?!”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "Je sais pas, ça fait longtemps qu’un garçon ne m’a pas intéressée, c’est tout." : "I don't know, it's just been a while since I've been interested in a guy"
> 
> The song Katniss sings is "Dernière danse" by Indila, which was a huge hit in France.  
> If you're interested in the translation of the lyrics, just ask and I will translate them for you.


End file.
